The Difference Between LinkedIn and Your Resume

Posted April 11, 2016byCSS

When first completed your LinkedIn profile, did you simply cut and paste your resume? If so, you’re not alone. Many professionals take this approach, and it’s easy to understand why people believe that their resume and their LinkedIn profile are interchangeable. In truth, they are very different mediums and therefore they must be approached with very different strategies.

Just What is the Difference Between The Two?

The obvious difference is that your resume is (technically) a paper document and your LinkedIn profile is an electronic snapshot. A more subtle, yet extremely important difference is that LinkedIn provides the opportunity to tell an in-depth story about who you are as a professional. Conversely, your resume is a concise medium for summarizing the most important facts about your experience, expertise and skills.

How to Use LinkedIn Effectively

There is no “secret” to mastering LinkedIn, however if you need to know one thing, it is this: The more complete your profile, and the more active you are on the platform, the more you will get back in return. As you comb through your profile, make sure that each field is completed and that you use keywords throughout the page to help your profile get found by recruiters and hiring managers.

Pay close attention to the fields that offer you the chance to expand. It’s perfectly ok to write complete sentences and even paragraphs on LinkedIn. The more detail you add, the more “color” you give to your story, and the more chances you have to pique the interest of someone looking to hire.

Once your profile is complete, don’t stop there. Interaction is the key to success on LinkedIn. Join industry-related groups and participate thoughtfully in the discussions there. Actively work to grow your network, and ask former bosses, colleagues, clients, vendors, etc., for recommendations. Be selective in who you ask – think quality over quantity – and keep in mind the best way to get recommendations is to give them.

Getting active and staying active on LinkedIn provides hiring managers and recruiters an in-depth and detailed picture of who you are as a professional and it is an important strategic tool for career growth.

How to Craft Your Resume

Unlike your LinkedIn profile, your resume should be as concise as possible – but it still must give an impactful overview of your experience, expertise and skills. It is very easy to include too much detail on a resume – after all, you’re trying to sell yourself to a hiring manager. However, hiring teams simply do not have the time or resources to comb through a lengthy resume.

It helps to think of your resume as a movie trailer. Effective previews give viewers an idea of what a movie is about, and helps them determine whether or not they want to see that movie. Hiring managers use resumes to decide which candidates they want to learn more about. It is perfectly acceptable to use bullet points, short phrases and even skills summaries. If you tailor your resume directly to the positions you apply for, you’ll be more likely to hit the right notes. Remember, you can always expand on important points in your cover letter and during the interview.

If you are ready to accelerate your job search by partnering with an expert recruiter, contact the team at Contemporary Staffing Solutions today. We are committed to the success of our talent network, and we can help connect you with a position that will help you achieve your career goals.